* Rusty Venture is what would happen if JonnyQuest grew up to be a washed up child actor living in the shadow of his father, who is DocSavage, JamesBond, and IndianaJones rolled into one abusive parent, and had the HardyBoys as sons.** Rusty's first name, Thaddeus, and appearance, are a shout-out to [[ComicBook/{{Shazam}} Captain Marvel]]'s arch-nemesis, Doctor Sivana.* Hank's outfit is clearly based on that of Fred from ''ScoobyDoo'', a fact that other characters have remarked on, and Dean's clothes and haircut are reminiscent of [[Franchise/SpiderMan Peter Parker's]] from his debut. Dean's pajamas are... Spider-Man themed. Hank's are ComicBook/{{Aquaman}}, and as a somewhat beefy blond he actually looks a little like the King of the Seas. To drive it further home, the apartment Dean lives in during his summer internship at Impossible Industries is almost exactly the same as Peter's from the [[Film/SpiderManTrilogy movies]].* ''Franchise/StarWars'' is a particularly popular subject. Usually [[LampshadeHanging patently obvious]]. This escalated to the point that, upon seeing the sheer volume of them while recording commentary on every episode of Season 2, Doc Hammer and Jackson Publick dared each other to avoid direct Star Wars references for all of Season 3, with the loser having to revert to their eighth-grade haircut.* Dr. Jonas, Jr. and "Venture Team" combined to form Ventron. [[Anime/{{Voltron}} "And I'll form the head!"]]* This show does lots and [[ShoutOut Shout Outs]] to various bands and musicians. Music/LedZeppelin, The Stooges, The Buggles, Duran Duran (not named but directly referenced), Bjork, Adam and the Ants, Depeche Mode, TheResidents, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, and Jesus Jones have all been explicitly name checked. DavidBowie was alluded to at least three times in various fashions before his appearance at the end of season two with Klaus Nomi and Iggy Pop.** In "What Goes Down Must Come Up", the first of the Rusty's that Dr Venture comes across has the same hairdo and outfit as the singer in The Prodigy's video for [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmin5WkOuPw&NR=1&feature=fvwp Firestarter]], which includes running at random in underground tunnels.* At one point, Henchman #21 tries to get Henchman #24 to team up with him as "Jet Boy and Jet Girl", just to make a reference to a French indie band despite neither of them qualifying as "Jet Girl".* Dr Orpheus' observation in "Self-Assisted Suicide" that "the doors of perception have opened all at once" could be counted as a double ShoutOut: once to the book of the same title, and once to The Doors, who named themselves after said book.* The occasional ray-gun sound effect is a dead ringer for the ones in ''[[WesternAnimation/HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse1983 He-Man]]''.* Jean-Claude [=LeTueur=]'s supervillain costume and history as a big game hunter/comic book nerd all harken back to ''SpiderMan'' foe Kraven the Hunter; Kraven's costume has a lion head chestpiece and leopard skin pants, [=LeTueur=]'s has an elephant head and zebra skin.* Russel Sturgeon is explicitly based on Quint from ''Film/{{Jaws}}'' in voice and appearance, his costume resembles that of Aquaman, and his entire MO as a fishing themed aquatic villain is a take on Aquaman villain the Fisherman.* While showing off the Order of the Triad merchandise, Doctor Orpheus claims that the Jefferson Twilight figure is actually just a [[PaletteSwap repainted]] Mego doll of TheFalcon. Meanwhile, the Alchemist figure is stated to be a [[OffTheShelfFX kitbashed]] [[Series/StarTrek Spock]] doll.* In general, the three assassins sent after Brock are all shout outs to the different kind of villains of Comic Book Ages. Go-Fish is a shout out the Golden Age, Le Tueur to the Silver Age, and Herr Trigger to the Bronze to 90's Darker and Edgier style of villains.** Le Tueur's name is a reference to a comic by the same name by French writer Matz, about an unnamed assassin.** And Molotov's list of targets are actually the writers and artists of the original Marvel Comic given to Dr. Venture by Henchman #21 earlier in the episode.* The fourth season premiere contains a lengthy shoutout to the climax of ''Film/RaidersOfTheLostArk''. Complete with "Don't look, no matter what happens," and Nazi face-melting.* The [[spoiler: Dean suit that D-19]] is making is reminiscent of ''SilenceOfTheLambs''.* The ScoobyDoo parody in season two are all references to famous crazy people: [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Bundy Ted Bundy]], [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Berkowitz David Berkowitz]], [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patty_Hearst Patty Hearst]], and [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valerie_Solanas Valerie Solanas]].* A (fake) flashback in the first season shows Hank and Dean dressed like IndianaJones and [[Series/MagnumPI Thomas Magnum]] respectively. This is also how Chip and Dale dressed in ''WesternAnimation/ChipNDaleRescueRangers'', making this a rare double ShoutOut.** And Brock is dressed as [[KnightRider Michael Knight]], to boot.* When Colonel Hunter Gathers arrives at OSI during Operation P.R.O.M.:-->'''Doe:''' That's none of your concern ''Mr.'' Gathers.\\'''Gathers:''' That's Colonel Gathers to you.\\'''Cardholder:''' Oh yeah? Well in that case, I'm ''President'' Cardholder, and this is my associate, Emperor Doe.\\'''Doe:''' GodEmperor Doe.** Which GodEmperor however, is up for debate.* Hunter Gathers herself is an Expy of HunterSThompson, complete with a reference to being [[DyingMomentOfAwesome shot out of a cannon as a funeral rite]].* Minor villain White Noise is a somewhat convoluted ShoutOut to Glowworm from ''ComicBook/AstroCity''. Their mutation is vaguely similar, but while Glowworm was a black man before his accident (and is angered when he was portrayed as white supremacist in an in-universe comic), White Noise is simply a white supremacist. Definitely could be chalked up to coincidence, but not likely given the sheer number of comic shoutouts in the show.** SPHINX, while more directly based on Cobra from GIJoe and by proxy Hydra from MarvelComics, seems a little too similar to Astro City's own NebulousEvilOrganization, PYRAMID. The Ancient Egypt motif, as well as the color schemes and general appearance of the uniforms, speak for themselves.* Captain Sunshine is not only a shout-out to Superman and Batman, but also Birdman, particularly in the way Birdman's powers are restored following his re-exposure to the Sun in some convoluted manner.** Captain Sunshine and the rest of the Action News Team/Super Gang are based on the Freedom Fighters, a relatively obscure team of DC Comics heroes -- Captain Sunshine himself is the Ray, US Steel is Uncle Sam, Brown Thrasher is the Black Condor, Ghost Robot is the Human Bomb, and Barbie Q is Firebrand.* There are several references to 1990s era Nickelodeon shows, from Hank demanding of Dean's disembodied head "Yeah, [[Series/ClarissaExplainsItAll Clarissa, explain it all]]" to 24[[spoiler:, mad over 21 finally getting rid of his skull,]] asking 21 if if he's really just going to bury it and "declare this meeting of [[AreYouAfraidOfTheDark the Midnight Society]] over."* When Dr. Killinger cuts Dr. Venture so he can sign a contract in blood, Doc references the 1970s KISS comic book, which allegedly had the blood of the band's members mixed in the ink.* The members of Doc's therapy group are "Action Johnny" (JonnyQuest), Lance and Dale Hale (TheHardyBoys), Roboy (''Manga/AstroBoy''), and Wonder Boy (Robin, the Boy Wonder).* Dr. Quymn's daughters are named [[NancyDrew Nancy and Drew]].* Brock accidentally killing his college football teammate and having to deal with the guilt for the rest of his life is a direct ShoutOut to the novel [[{{Literature/Gladiator}} proto-superheroic 1930 book Gladiator]], the [[UrExample inspiration]] for his ''own'' inspiration, DocSavage* Fat Chance is a parody of a somewhat obscure Flash villain called Chunk.* Phantom Limb's original outfit (Minus the invisible arms and legs) is designed after that of ThePhantom.* Phantom Limb's grandfather was Literature/{{Fantomas}}. Not a CaptainErsatz, the actual Fantômas. We guess that happens with characters in the PublicDomain.* When out of costume, 21 wears a [[WebVideo/GIJoePSAs Porkchop Sandwiches]] t-shirt.* Brick Frog (a villain trying out for The Revenge Society in Bright Lights, Dean City) is in name a reference to the indentation in a standard brick and a villain from the live-action Tick show and in appearance a reference to the relatively obscure Marvel hero Frog-Man.* Ladyhawk Johnson and Lyndon Bee, a woman who turns into a hawk at night, and a man who is a bee by day, is a reference to the movie Ladyhawke and the former president and first lady Lyndon B. Johnson and Lady Bird Johnson. "I shall not seek, or accept, your escape." Ladyhawk also has large angel wings sprouting from her back and a harness like the X-Men character Angel.* [[SoylentGreen STUDENT GREEN IS PEOPLE!!]]* In episode 3 of season 2, Brock begins to slap a plastic surgeon that [[spoiler: performed a sex change on Col. Gathers, telling him that "he was like a father to me!"]] The surgeons sobbed responses in between the slaps that [[spoiler: "he's your mother! Your father! Your mother! Your father! Your mother and your father!"]] is taken almost verbatim from [[Film/{{Chinatown}} Chinatown.]]* At the start of S5,E5 Headshot refers to Molotov as [[Comicbook/KickAss "Hit-Girl"]]. It's reinforced later in the episode when you learn that she was trained as an assassin by her father.** FridgeBrilliance when you realize she basically is Hit-Girl and Mother Russia rolled into one!* In the Season 4 episode Every Which Way But Zeus, a lot of characters get together to take down the episodes BigBad. All of them are given codenames. Two characters [[spoiler:in one body]] are given the names [[Series/{{KenanAndKel}} Kenan and Kel]].* In the Season 5 episode Bot Seeks Bot, Dragoon's choice of torture reflects the nightclub scene from Requem For a Dream** "Ass to Ass!"* In "Bright Lights, Dean City", Rusty is trying to pitch a Broadway musical based on his life. While hammering out the score in Dean's apartment, he's joined by the Ventureverse's Spider-Man expy, who sings along. When Rusty asks him about his skill as a singer, not-Spidey mentions that he was once in a production of "The Sound of Music". The actor who played Spider-Man in the 1970's live action television series, Nicholas Hammond, was previously famous for playing one of the Von Trapp children in the original Sound of Music film.* When Hank and Dean run away from home on their hover bikes in the last episode of season one, great parts of this sub plot reflect [[Film/{{Easy Rider}} Easy Rider]], with one of the most obvious being Hank and Dean's helmets.* The episode titled "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What_Color_is_Your_Parachute%3F What Color is Your Jumpsuit?]]"* ''TotallySpies'' is directly referenced when Gary [[spoiler: actually the Sovereign]] shows up to save Dr. Mrs. The Monarch and says he finds her acting all "Sam, Alex, and Clover."* Radical Left is [[ComicBook/TwoFace Two-Face]].* General Treister is one big shoutout to TheAvengers and [[Comicbook/RedHulk Thunderbolt Ross]]. He is in charge of the OSI and has an eyepatch like Nick Fury and has a mechanical heart like IronMan, and wears an american flag as a tunic like CaptainAmerica did in EarthX. He is also like General Ross in age, rank and signature facial hair, and later turns into [[ComicBook/RedHulk Treister Hulk]] from space radiation.----